Shipping container



Oct. 2, 1951 F. A. PALMER SHIPPING CONTAINER Filed Aug. 25, 1948 FIG. 2.

CZuuc7d MINVENTOR.

Patented Oct. 2, 1951 SHIPPING CONTAINER Frederick A. Palmer, Wooster, Tex., assignor, by mesne assignments, t Standard Oil Development Company, Elizabeth, N. J., a corporation of Delaware Application August 25, 1948, Serial No. 46,164

1 Claim. 1

The present invention is directed to a container adapted for use in shipping high mo1ecu- 1ar weight polymers having the characteristics of rubber. More particulariy, the invention is concerned with a container from which highviscosity, high molecular weight materials may be removed easily.

In the last ten years the synthetic rubber industry has developed to commercial importance. The rubber produced by chemical means is usua1iy a copolymer, in one instance a copolymer of a diolefin such as butadiene and styrene and in another instance a copolymer of a tertiary 01efin such as isobutylene and a diolefin such as butadiene and isoprene. These materials are usually produced in manufacturing centers removed from the rubber processing centers; that is to say, the synthetic rubber industry has built up largely adjacent the oil refining industry which is usually located in Coastal areas whereas the synthetic rubber manufacturing industry has been located adjacent the automobile industry. It will be readily seen that the synthetic rubber industry may be a considerable distance from the rubber manufacturer or processing industry and, thus, the synthetic rubber must be shipped over long distances to the manufacturing or processing sites.

The synthetic rubbers such as the copolymers resulting from tertiary olefins and diolefins are subject to cold fiow; that is to say, under ordinary atmospheric conditions the synthetic rubber wiIl flow and adhere to containers in which it is shipped. It is customary to ship synthetic rubber such as copolymers of isobutylene and isoprene in 50 pound cardboard containers. This has been satisfactory to some extent but the cold flow characteristics of synthetic rubber have re sulted in the material adhering to the cardboard containers. Thus, when the shipment arrives at the processing center, the synthetic rubber must be -removed from the containers, and when it is removed a considerable amount of cardboard usually becomes associated with the synthetic rubber. This is undesirabie to the processer and manufacturer cf rubber articles since the cardboard is an hnpurity and must be removed,

One solution of the problem has been to coat the interior of the cardboard containers with a dust which prevents the rubber from adhering to the cardboard. Such materials include compositions of talc, sodium or zinc stearate, and the 1ike, and have been used with success. However, from time to time, even when coating agents such as have been illustrated areempioyed in the containers, the rubber still adheres to the cardboard; the receiver of the synthetic material finds his raw materia1 contaminated with cardboard.

Another objection to the employment of cardboard containers is that such containers may be used only once. Thus, the cardboard containers themselves are a total 1oss. The manufacturer of the synthetic rubber must add the cost of the containers on to the cost of. the synthetic rubber in setting a price on the material. This price is ultimately passed on to the manufacturer of the rubber article who in turn passes the price on to the consumer. It will be seen, therefore, that the cost of these sometimes unsatisfactory cardboard containers adds greatly to the cost of the manufactured material produd from synthetic rubber. For this country to compete on an economic basis with natural rubber, it is necessary to provide the synthetic produ zt to the public in the cheapest form possible.

Therefore, the main object of the present invention is to provide a container for synthetic r rubber and other highly viscous materials which may be used continuously.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a container in the form of a frustrum of a pyramid which may be easily emptied of highly viscous material.

The objects of the present invention may be achieved by providing a container comprising a straight sided wall portion in the form of a frustrum of a pyramid which has a comparatively small taper from top to bottom. The bottom portion of the container is smaller than the top portion of the container and forms a footing for the container. Adjacent the bottom the container has a rigid closure which xtends across the wall portion and defines a recessed space underneath the container. That is to say, the closure at the bottom is located a short distance above the point where the footing rests on the surface on which the container is placed. Communicating with the interior of the container is an inlet which may be a simple conduit but which is preferably a check valve placed in the bottom closure. This inlet is in communication with the area encompassed by the interior wa1ls of the container and allows pressure to be placed on the contents thereof by connection of a source of pressure such as air under superatmospheric pressure to the inlet means. The inlet preferably has a cover member arranged on it within said container to prevent fouling of the inlet with the material placed in the container. Thus,

for example, if the inlet means is a check valve, it may have a cover plate arranged over and around the check valve to allow functioning thereof and to prevent it from becoming fouled with the viscous material which may be placed in the container. On the outer surface of the Wall portion at a point located below thecenter ofi gravity of the container there is providedlengagr ing means in the form of rings, hooks, shouldexs, and the like by means of Which fines, chains, and other lifting devices may be attached. On the outer periphery of the top of the container there is arranged an exterior shoulder; omwhich.maz rest a removable cover member orp1ate} thecever member or plate engaging frictionallwith= the= shoulder and is provided with a means to engage said shoulder and seal said container; The com V tainer and rigid closure members are preferably constructed of sheet metal, such as sheetsteel- The objects of the container of the present invention will be* further understoobyrefiercnce: to the drawing in: which Figure 1 shows. a. sec:= tional view.of a rectangulan container m in the: shape of a truncated pyramid or as a frustrum of a rectangulanpyrami, and

Figure 2; is aview of.containen li! of Figure.l looking downwardly into said:eontainer.

Figure 3* is an enlarged..viewofi the valve l1. and removable-cover 159: of thecontaincr i. V

Referring. novw to the: drawing: andparticularly to Fig. 1, numerala H designates a wall portion ofza frustrum of a; rectangnlar pyramide Numeral l2 designates a hottom member forming: a bottom closure: and; extends across and is rigidly afiixed to the wallporticn: I=:l.. The. wall portion; H of the containertapere downwardly: to a bottom portion [-3 which isturned. under slightly-and: lappedover to form the footing M.. The bottomportion 13,. the footing l4'rand the: outer surface: of?closure l'2ldefinea:recessedispace [5.x Thus it will be seen that the footing l4: restsndirectly ort the surface on which; the. container is placed While the bottom plate. L2 is :slightly abovethe surface and does notre'stdirectly thereona Cen tered on the closure membert l2:isan iniet I8 including. a check valve:.lzl. Inlet l'6 provides communication from space I5to thespace l8: defined: by the wall portion l t: of the container.- The check valve l1 is provided with a:covenplate l9 to prevent materiaLirom.-fouling:the valve= and thus* preventing. itirom operating as it should. Arranged: around the top: of the container and around the periphery ofthe side- Wall H is a shoulder 20 on which may resta cover plate The cover plate 212 is: provided: with: an engaging: means 22 Which frictionally engages with the shoulder 28 and allows sealingof thecontentsof the container. For example; en'gaging means- 2?- may include an expandable lip on the cover plate Which has sufi1cient spring: in:itto engage with shoulder 22 when the. cover plate 2l i"s pressed firrnly downwardly thereon.

Arranged on the: outer surface of wall I l opposite relation to each: other are*ati 1'east two= engaging means such as: flexible rings 2 3 whiclr are located at a point belcw the=centerofgravity of the,containep I0. The:purposeofithe engaging'means 23 ist o allow the container l's to:be inverted; and thusto allow dumping-ofthe con tents thereo f.

Figure 2: is; a viewluoking dcwnwardly into the container l'oiwith the :cover: plate 2:l rerndvedshowing the interior arrangementof the cofi tainer. 2

The container: off the presenflix wantibn will 4 usually be constructed of a sufllcient size t0 accommodate 25, 50, '75, and pounds of rubber. Suitable dimensions of a container of 100 pound capacity will include an overall depth from the bottom of the container to the top thereof of 20 inches with the top opening about 18 inches square-and the bottom" plate about '14 inches square. The-footing l-may be:approximately 13% inches square with the recessed space defined by the outer surface of plate I2, footing L4,, and bottom portion [3 being of about /11 inch depth. This will allow sufiicient protrusion for the inlet l 6 to:.engage threadably or to couple with; union connecting to a source of pressure In employingthe improved container of the pz esentiinvcnticn, the cover plate 21 is removed and the high viscosity, high molecular Weight materil-such as a copolymer of isobutylene and isoprene is allowed to flow into the container. For example; .thethigh; molecular weight polymer may be:fed directly f romthehot-millsof a eopoly merzprocesgunit ihto;the. container until the desiredweight, for example 50: toi00 pounds, has been allowed. tofiow therein.- The: cover plate 2l isthen .firmly; afiixed to the shoulder 20. by means of engagin means 22 andzthe; container: placed in.suitable freight cars .for shipping to the; processingrunit-. On arrival at the precessing: unit, rings. 23; have: attached. thereto a siing; of rope chain; or the :like}. and: the. container liftecL By locating. the ringsdbelow the center. of.- gravity,, the container is.inverted.and the contents of the: container iso'may be. dumped on removal of cover plate 2;]; 'The:. latter may be accomplishedby priyzing thentainer open with asuitable sharp edged means; To facilitatethedumpe ing of.the container l0;. a source of. pressure, such as compressed air, may he attached to: the; inlet t6:and thehigh. viscosity material caused:to flow cr fail fromzthecontaiuer I0..

Itmay be desirable tocoat:the inner' surfaces of the wall portiomli with a suitable coating materialzsuch as;a mixture of talc, zinc stearate,

In:nesting the containers in each other, the hottom portion l'3; and footing i'4' reste on theinner surfacgof bottom plate i2. The recess l5 allows the cover plate i 9:, sufiieient clearance so that the;- inlet will .not be damaged. by thecontainers nesting; one: insanothem The rings 23'may' be constructed to: foldzto: the sides of the container or may be flexible: or*otherwise suitably arranged= sothat the containers may benestedwithout interference. r r 7 By providing containersn accordance with the: present: invention, it: is possible to return in 0nefreightrcanagsufficient:number oiconta-in ers to fili.20& 0;?3freighb-0ts-Withloaded contai ners. 7

A. considerableamount of savings= inuretothe containerspfi' the Mesentinventibn-in shipping r synthetic rubbersima the cost of thecardboardcontainers 'for 50 pound shipments has run as high as fifty-cents each} and itis understood that a commercial plant will produce- 200,000 pounds daim of syntheticrubber; Aconsiderable amount of: the-ccst of the rubberis= the cost of the snip-r pingcontainer5; A

li: will} be obvious t0 one skilled in the 'art that. whil-hareshoweda containerhavih%the general shape of a frustrum of a rectangular pyramid as being preferred, other modifications may be used if desired. Thus, the bottom and top of the container may define a polygon having three, five, six, or more sides if desired.

The nature and objects of the present invention having been completely described and illustrated, what I wish to claim as new and useful and to secure by Letters Patent is:

A container designed to be nested with containers of the same size and construction comprising a straight sided wall portion in the shape of a frustrum of a rectangular pyramid having a comparatvely small taper from top to bottom, a bottom portion comprising an extension of said Wall portion defining a footing for supporting said container, a rectangular bottom member rigidly connected to and extending across said wall portion adjacent the bottom defining a closure for said container and a recessed space between the outer surface of said bottom member and said bottom portion, a check valve centered in said bottom portion definingan inlet to said container, a cover plate on said check valve arranged within FREDERICK A. PALMIER.

RFRENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 615,090 Myer et al Now 29, 1898 1,198,082 Stollberg Sept. 12, 1916 1,690,073 Kincaid Oct. 30, 1928 2,023,002 Bosomworth Dec. 3, 1935 2,196,081 Reynoldson April 2, 1940 2,363,521 Grant, Jr Nov. 28, 1944 2,455,764 Hartlove Dec. '7, 1948 

